Kuroneko: Seen in an all new way
by Paru-chan
Summary: About the little cat-girl Kuroneko, and her part in the Trigun series. Spoiler Alert! Anyone who hasn't watched the entire Trigun series beware! Rating because of events that take place in the series. A.N. WAI! WAI! I updated!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One- The Escape of Kuroneko  
  
It was a perfect paradise. Green trees and beautiful flowers, with a soft bed of grass, and a peaceful breeze. Yes, it was a paradise, and on the planet Gunsmoke, it was a rarity, but that brings us to the definition of the word paradise. "Walled garden." And as a walled in garden, it was boooooring!  
  
Kuroneko had lived here almost all of her life with her Otou-san Knives, and often visited by her older brother Legato-niisan, and her unusual friend Midvalley. All of Kuroneko's friends and family were very unusual though, because she was unusual herself.  
  
You see, she had no mother, as her father said, and her father wasn't human himself. She had a few of her father's traits, like the long blond hair he used to have when he was a child, but she didn't know where she got the soft black pointed ears on the top of her head, very animal like in looks, or the tail. She didn't know how she got blue-green eyes, with the pupils slitted vertically. Her father had a similar color, but he certainly didn't have the same shape!  
  
She wasn't supposed to look at her reflection, and she wasn't supposed to ponder over such thing- that was against 'tou-san's rules, but she had caught quite a few glimpses of herself in the pond, so she couldn't help but wonder. Her wondering never got close to the truth however, and Knives was happy to keep it that way.  
  
After Vash had gone off on his own, Knives had started planning his revenge against the humans. He had caught about a dozen humans VERY down on their luck, and had killed them, storing their bodies. He searched through the DNA strands of each person, before coming across one single tiny piece, common on each of them. That was the "Bad luck" hormone.  
  
Using the BLH, "Bad luck hormone", and using his own DNA, he had created a small child. To make sure it wasn't identical to him, he had inserted a small strand of the common female black cat, who was unlucky on her own. When finally developed, he found it had made a small child, with a mix of his traits and the cats traits. She was a bad luck carrier; immune to it, but spreading it around.  
  
With her unleashed on the world, slowly but surely the human civilization would collapse. Even if Knives were to die, as long as that child lived, all human life on the planet Gunsmoke would end, although it might take several centuries.  
  
And she would still live those centuries, having mostly the blood of a Plant, and living a Plant's lifetime. By the time her body was fully developed and able to live outside the container it was built in, he had already recruited Legato. This worked out perfectly well for him, since he had no desire to take care of a child.  
  
So it was Legato who named her, and raised her for the year it took for her to become a small child, barely out of toddler years, but ready to function partly on her own.  
  
But thankfully, Kuroneko was naive, and oblivious to it all. All she knew was that she was bored living in a paradise, and now that Legato was always off doing his job, she had no one to play with.  
  
She sat by the edge of the pond kicking at the water, and humming a tuneless song like all children do. She wore a too large tee shirt, and some underclothes, but that was all. Her feet were heavily callused from having never worn shoes.  
  
"I'm boooored," she whined quietly to herself. She knew better than to bother 'tou-san with her noise, and to never ask him to play. Last time she did that, she got thrown in the same pond she was kicking her feet in.  
  
"I'm gonna go see if Legato-niisan ish here than!" She declared, standing up quickly and crossing her arms. She walked to were 'tou-san was with practiced stealth, and looked past the shrubs, opening a small space with her tiny arms.  
  
She wasn't really expecting to see Legato, but he was there, bowed in front of Knives like her 'tousan was royalty.  
  
"I want you to carry out this order at once!" Knives growled harshly.  
  
"May I not even see Kuro-chan, Knives-sama?" Legato asked softly.  
  
That provoked a snarl. "No!" he barked out. "You've been pampering her. Just the other day she wanted to *play*! She was acting human, like my baka brother! Your human nature has been rubbing off on her! I ban you from seeing her ever again! She is a tool, and only that! She isn't supposed to *want*! She isn't supposed to *feel*!"  
  
Kuroneko stifled a sob. She wasn't sure what all was happening, but there were two things she was certain of. She'd never be able to see Legato- niisan again, and her Otou-san hated her, and didn't want her. Her despair quickly turned to a child's pure rage.  
  
Fine then! She didn't want her 'tousan either! She ran back to her small hut, and crawled into it. She grabbed her backpack, that she made with the hand me down pants that were too big.  
  
She grabbed her favorite baby blanket, a light blue like the sky, and stuffed it in. She also grabbed her extra shirt, and under clothes, and stuck them in too. The last and final thing she stuck in, was a small photo album, with five picture slots. There was one of her and Legato-niisan playing, one of Midvalley-san teaching her how to swim, not long after Knives dumped her into the pond, one of a blond man with spiky blond hair and kind blue eyes (the father she wished she had instead of Knives, she thought bitterly), and a picture that she decided must be her mother, although she never confronted Knives about it. It was a picture of a woman with long black hair, and the word "Rem" was scrawled at the bottom. At least she thought it said that; Legato had been teaching her to read when he last left. She took the pencil he left, and wrote "Mom" under it, in scratchy letters.  
  
She found it in the box of children's clothes that Knives gave her when she got this big. That and the picture of the kind eyed man. He said that they were his and his brothers when they were young. She supposed the man in the picture was his brother, Vash.  
  
The last picture was one of Knives, and she took it out and ripped it into little tiny pieces. She took the handful of pieces and tossed them out, the wind picking them up and blowing most of them away. She reached back in the tiny house and grabbed her backpack.  
  
Stepping away from her house one last time, she look back at the place she had called home for a long moment, before turning her back on it forever. That sad little shack was just a doghouse, another sign of Knives opinion of her.  
  
She snuck up to the path out of the paradise to wait for Legato to come by, hiding herself. She decided that she would trail him, and wait until they were a long way away from this place before revealing herself to him. If they were close, it was likely he would take her back. With as much as he cared for her, his number one loyalty was to Knives.  
  
He walked briskly past her, like he wanted to be out of this place as soon as possible. The force field surrounding the paradise opened when he touched it, and Kuroneko knew it would only be open for thirty seconds after he left. He usually waited to see it close, but some hidden emotion was driving him on, and he didn't even look back. He didn't see as Kuroneko slipped through, and hid behind a dune of sand.  
  
Knives lifted his head as he felt Kuroneko's presence leave. He didn't bother to fetch her though; she would do more damage outside these walls, than the inside. And evil grin spread over his face, and he started laughing a sinister laugh. Finally that tool was in use, and soon the human population would start to destroy itself!  
  
The utterly naive Kuroneko was following Legato, who had gotten on a strange riding beast, and had started moving at a fast pace. It was hard for her to keep up with him, but an instinct she never knew she had kicked in, she started using her hand and feet to sprint, and caught up with Legato in no time, using the dunes to hide her presence.  
  
It was easy for her to hide for the blue shirts her 'tou-san Knives had given her had long faded to an off white, slightly tinted blue. Her long hair being blond blended in to the sand, and her skin did the same.  
  
So as she got to where Legato was, she paused for a moment, caught her breath. She didn't know how she could do that, but she felt a flash of age-old memory. A large limber predator, with black spotted fur, sprinting after some kind of herd animal, and taking it down. A black leopard, taking down her next meal by sprinting faster than it could run.  
  
She suddenly realized that Legato had moved on further ahead, so she started sprinting again. All her energy was focused on keeping pace with Legato-niisan, but a distant part of her wondered how long that she would be able to keep up the pace.  
  
After running for hours, Legato stopped momentarily. He let the riding beast rest, and gave it some water, drinking a large swig of water himself from a canteen. Sitting down, he ate a small roll, stuffed with some kind of meat. That was when Kuroneko realized how starved she was, for both water and food.  
  
"I guess I gotta wait for a place with more people, then I can hide better and maybe get some food," She thought. Legato-nii-san had told her places like that, places where there were so many people that there was always noise about. A city, she remembered. It was hard to believe that there were such places.  
  
She shook her head distractedly. "That still doesn't make me less hungry!" She took a piece of her hair, and started sucking on it, swallowing the spit from her mouth. That made her a little less thirsty, but not by much.  
  
Legato seemed done eating, and saddled up on his riding beast, starting at a slower speed. The worn beast huffed and puffed, but went none the less. Kuroneko walked slowly and when the riding beast started going faster, loped after it.  
  
"I hope we get to a city soon..." she thought to herself. She ran and ran, non-stop, for hours, and the sun was getting lower in the horizon. She became aware of a large stone formation, and some kind of giant fan attached to it. There was a town scattered around that stone formation, and many different smells came off it.  
  
When Legato got off his riding beast, he slapped it on its rear, and sent it running of on its own. Kuroneko dodged the running animal, and hid behind a post to a large wooden arch, a sign attached to the top. "JENEORAROCK"  
  
Legato walked into an inn, and ordered a meal. Kuroneko watched as he did this, and realized she was pretty hungry herself.  
  
She looked around, and the few people there stared at her. "My ears!" she thought in a flash. She took her thin, small blanket out of her pack, and tied it around her head like a scarf. Her tail she hid under her shirt wrapped around her waist.  
  
"Done!" She said with a smile. The people who where staring had just come out of a bar next door, and one of them muttered to the others about not drinking anymore this early in the day.  
  
She walked over to what seemed to be a deli. Opening the door, she gazed sadly at the different foodstuffs. The shopkeeper was a kind old man, and he recognized that look. It was the same look that the starving kids from the nearby village gave when they came into this part of town. He reached into a cupboard, which he kept the stuff that was a day past expiration. Too old to sell, but still perfectly okay.  
  
"Here," he said, handing a large sandwich, wrapped in deli paper, down to the practically drooling girl. A huge smile broke over her face.  
  
"Doomo Arigato Gozaimasu!" she said, holding on to the sandwich like a lifesaver.  
  
"Its no problem child, I always have extra stuff," He said with a kindly smile. "Now go on, I need to work."  
  
"Hai!" She chirped, skipping back the inn that Legato-niisan was in. "Yum!" she said, munching at her sandwich. It was a little too big for her, so when she was done, she wrapped it up with the deli paper, and stuck it in her pack.  
  
She got up, and wandered around, not far from the inn, until she found a well. Pulling up the bucket, she used the ladle on the edge to take a long drink, before heading back to the inn.  
  
When she got there, some mean looking people, all in the same outfit, were going in, pushing in some sad looking girls in front of them. She peeked in, as they sat down, and ordered some wine, whatever that was.  
  
She could here Midvalley-san playing in there, and was surprised. It would be twice as hard to follow Legato-san now, and they still weren't far enough from "home".  
  
One of the pretty girls looked over at Legato-niisan, and her eyes got less blurry. The girl just stared for a while. Something about the girl looking at Legato-niisan upset the mean men, Kuroneko guessed because one of the mean men started kicking the girl.  
  
"Not just mean men," Kuroneko thought. "Some group of people doin' whatever this Rodrick tell 'em to."  
  
This Rodrick's group started yelling at *her* 'nii-san, and Legato- niisan just ignored them.  
  
"Go 'nii-san!" Kuroneko cheered silently.  
  
One of Rodrick's group got really mad, and shot at Legato-nii-san, breaking his fork, and Legato-niisan just asked for another one. This made the same guy even more mad, and shot at Legato-niisan even more!  
  
Legato turned around and gave the man a piercing glare. "I will be taking care of all humans, sooner or later..Why do you want to die so soon?" he asked in a low voice.  
  
"What does he mean? Die? What's die?" Kuroneko questioned herself. She had never been introduced to the idea of death, and this was all confusing her deeply.  
  
She nearly jumped out of her skin as she felt the energy of Legato- niisan mind control. She had it happen to her a couple times, when she was trying to misbehave. Usually he forced her to go sit by herself and stay here, but what he was doing to this man sent shivers down her spine.  
  
The mans hand reached up and turned around, at an impossible angle, forcing itself into the mans chest, and through his heart. The man begged for it to stop, but he eventually died.  
  
The rest of the group jumped up and tried to shoot him, but only shot each other. Legato's mind control was all over that group and each and every one of them fell to the ground, bleeding, and not moving.  
  
"Is that what die is? Never moving again, and their spirit away from their body? And blood..." Kuroneko thought in a distant horrified manner. Blood, so much blood. The only time she had seen blood is when she fell and scraped her knee. But there was blood all over the floor.  
  
Legato walked up toward the girls. "You are a truly pitiful bunch. But you should understand this now. Life is a very painful experience."  
  
At that the girls began to cry.  
  
"The end is coming. You should try to enjoy it while you can." This was spoken with such a strength, that it echoed throughout the city. People ran into the closest cover, and out of the inn. A silence reigned  
  
Then, breaking the painful silence, Midvalley-san started playing again, like it had never happened. Legato started walking out the door, and Kuroneko hid under a bench. She watched terrified, as he walked down the road. People hid in their own buildings, and windows closed, trying to block him out.  
  
He lifted his hand, and stared at it, with the most evil grin this town had ever seen. He walked toward the windmill, climbing to the top of it.  
  
Kuroneko watched him as he went up, followed by Midvalley-san. The two were soon followed by a large amount of Rodrick's gang. She huddled in a ball as she felt the energy of both Legato and Hornfreak, and heard the sounds of a massacre.  
  
Next Chapter- Kuroneko meets Vash, the father she always wished she had, and watches the battle between Dominique the Cyclops, and Vash the Stampede. Those who have see the series all know that Vash wants to go off on his own, leaving Meryl and Milly behind, but with Legato-niisan disappeared and no place else to go, will Vash let her come? Next time!  
  
A.N. Arigato for reading Minna-san!  
  
This is my first Trigun Fanfiction, and I don't know if it is as decent as I hope it is. I know I may have problems with paragraphs, but I've been working on it, so it may be better now.  
  
'nyhow, I like writing fanfiction using chibi characters, that is young O.C. characters, and I try to make a chibi character to fit into each of the anime series I like. This was the only one I could figure out for this one.  
  
If there is any series errors you see so far, please tell me.  
  
Japanese Translations  
  
Iie = no  
  
Hai = yes  
  
Kuroneko = black cat  
  
Otou-san & 'tou-san = father, or daddy  
  
Onii-san & 'nii-san = older brother  
  
Kuro-chan = Dear Kuro (or something of the like. Basically a cute pet name)  
  
Knives-sama = Lord Knives (or similar. Honorary title)  
  
Midvalley-san = Mr. Midvalley  
  
Doomo Arigato Gozaimasu = "Many many thanks!"  
  
I think that is all, but if you see any other ones I missed, tell me! 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Vash and Dominique  
  
Kuroneko sobbed quietly under a bench, as she remembered what she had seen. How could her kind Onii-san do such a terrible terrible thing. Was he a bad man, like Otou-san? If Onii-san was a bad man, then that meant Midvalley-san was a bad man too! Was everyone bad? It wasn't fair; they were all she had!  
  
As she calmed down, she heard gasping, and two women chattering. As she turned, she saw the oddest sight ever. A man in a red coat of some kind, was carrying two women on his shoulders, on some type of bench thingy. She had seen many versions of transportation, cars being the neatest so far, but she have never seen this!! Maybe it was normal.  
  
For a moment it shocked her out of her misery, and she giggled. When she realized that she got sad again. She wasn't supposed to be happy! She saw a bad thing!  
  
The man fell over gasping, and the two women got off. The smaller one got him water from the well. As he drank it, he jumped up, laughing. "Ahh! I feel refreshed!" He stated. "Lets go find a place to eat!"  
  
He looked familiar to her, but that was weird, because she hadn't seen many people before today.  
  
The women watched, and he seemed to dance around. "But this place seem a little quiet, Senpai." The taller one said. "I think so too," the smaller one said. Kuroneko sniffled. She knew why.  
  
"This is the place, we'll stay here tonight," the familiar man said, pointing at the place Legato came out of. Kuroneko almost shouted at him, but bit down on her blanket instead, also biting her tongue. Her eyes teared more at the bite.  
  
"Konnichiwa!!" he called cheerfully, opening the doors. He opened his eyes, and surveyed the ruins, before solemnly closing the doors. The two girls questioned him, and he told them it was nothing, but the anger in his eyes betrayed the truth.  
  
Kuroneko curled into a tighter ball, as he ran up and down the streets, calling for people. Legato's power peaked slightly, and Midvalley's sax blew viscously, heard only by her sharp feline ears from this distance.  
  
He ran to a cracked open door, and the terrified girl tried to shut it. "Who was it that did this?! Was it Legato?! A man wearing a long white coat??"  
  
Kuroneko fell into deep thought then, not hearing as the man got the door slammed on his finger. He knew Legato-nii-san? Who was he to know 'nii-san? In fact, with her eyes closed and thinking, she didn't heard much, until she heard a thump on the bench she was curled under, and looked up to see the man sitting atop her.  
  
"You were wrong to enter another person's home." The small girl, "Senpai" said frustrated to the man above Kuroneko. As they lectured him, Kuroneko reached out with her thoughts, trying to touch his energy. He was close enough to do so then. When she touched it. it felt like Tou-san's!  
  
When her mind touched his energy, he was given a small connection to Legato, and he looked up at the top of the peak. "Yarou!" he shouted, and started running toward Legato. "Vash-san! What are you doing?!"  
  
'Vash?? Like her 'tou-san brother Vash?!' That's how he seemed familiar! The picture! She jumped out from under the bench, and started after him nearly faster than the eye could see. "WHAT?!" The small women shouted, falling back. The tall women caught her. "I think it's a kid." she muttered distracted from the runaway Vash. "But no kid could move like that."  
  
She chased Vash up some nearly impossible leaps, and then as he went up the last few stairs, climbed the side of the cliff, finding a decent ledge so she could peek over the side. "More die people." she whispered, tearing up. Those die people looked lots worse that the die people 'nii-san made..  
  
She watched as a lady with long black hair ran up the stairs behind Vash, and Vash stood very very still. When the lady was beside Vash she took a small knife out and did something Kuroneko couldn't see, then patch on her eye closed, and Vash started moving again. He looked at her shocked.  
  
"Your unobservant. If I really wanted to kill you, you would be dead three times already," she said. Three buttons fell off and hit the ground. Kuroneko smothered a giggle with her blanket, still wrapped around her head but it wasn't enough as she met eyes with the lady. 'She saw me!' "Eeep." The lady smiled slightly.  
  
"Big words for some one who just appeared out of nowhere," he said. 'What??? She was just movin around! Maybe. maybe Vash can't see her when she moves around. How come?'  
  
"Who are you?" he asked.  
  
"Gun-Ho-Guns," she said.  
  
"Legato's companions?" he asked.  
  
"You can think of us that way," She said, turning around. "Gun-Ho- Guns number two; Dominique the Cyclops."  
  
"Did you do this?" he asked.  
  
"That's right," she gloated, "Piling them up like trash. I was only punishing those heartless criminals. You can call it clearing out the vermin. There, are you content now?"  
  
Vash sighed. "Regardless of whether they were good or bad." he started, then turned and glared at her. "It's not up to you to decide whether they live or die! You're too arrogant! If I was really serious, in the time we were speaking, You would have been five times." Vash got a really silly smile on his face. "Groped by me!"  
  
All the buttons on Dominique's shirt popped off, and her shirt came open in the front.  
  
"So, are you ready now?" Vash inquired.  
  
"You were the one who was about to fall asleep," she snapped at him. "Once I issue a challenge I won't back down!"  
  
"Give up. I don't want to hurt you," he told her. He hand hovered above his gun.  
  
"Now who's arrogant!" she laughed. "Maybe you just can't hurt anyone. I know that's it better to be dead than live that way. I'll end you misery today." Her eye patch opened and she ran quickly past him, over to the ledge where Kuroneko was. She looked down at Kuroneko.  
  
"So that's what it was; a kid," Dominique said, laughing to herself.  
  
Kuroneko looked up at her. "Konnichiwa!" she said cheerfully. Dominique jumped back.  
  
"You can move?!?!" Dominique exclaimed. Kuroneko looked mournful, and underneath the blanket her ears went flat.  
  
"Was I not s'posed to be able to move? I dun understand.." her eyes teared up.  
  
"You really aren't supposed to be able to move, but it isn't your fault if you can," Dominique said. "I'm actually interested why. You startled me."  
  
"What's that on you head?" Kuroneko asked, changing the subject entirely like children sometimes do.  
  
"It's my hat; haven't you seen a hat before?"  
  
"Iie, 'tou-san and 'nii-san didn't have hats, and this is the first time I've ever been in a city before," Kuroneko replied. "Can I have it? I really need one."  
  
"Why do you think you really need my hat?" Dominique questioned.  
  
Kuroneko took her blankie off her head and her ear twitched back and forth. She let her tail come down. Dominique gasped, and her eyes widened.  
  
At that, Kuroneko quickly covered her ears back up and crouched down sniffling. "Why does everyone do that! That's why I need a hat thingy! Everyone hates my ears!" And as the day's trauma caught up with her, she started crying.  
  
"Everyonehatesme*sob*and'niisanabadman*sob*andyouaregoing*sob*tohurttheonlyp erson*sob*Ihaveleftand*sob*since'niisansabadman*sob*andyouareafriendof*sob*' niisanthatmeans*sob*youarebadtoo*sob*andeveroneisdie*sobsob*die*sooob*die!"  
  
Dominique sighed. "I never thought I'd be doing this in my life- time." She picked up Kuroneko, and sat down, rocking her, and making soothing noises. "Slow down okay, tell me what you need to, but slow down."  
  
"Everybody hates me.." she started.  
  
"I don't."  
  
"But my ears."  
  
"I was merely startled. I've seen stranger things- trust me on that."  
  
"I found out 'nii-san is a bad man.."  
  
"What did he do?"  
  
"He die some people."  
  
"What?"  
  
"He made some people die."  
  
"You mean he killed some people?"  
  
"Is killed and die the same thing?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"He killed some people in the city today."  
  
"...."  
  
"It was really bloody. And my friend killed some people too."  
  
"What's your friend name?"  
  
"Midvalley-san.."  
  
"...!"  
  
"And he used his pretty saxxie-foam to do it!"  
  
".what's your brothers name?"  
  
"Legato-nii-san."  
  
"Ack. Go figure; I'm comforting my masters little sister."  
  
"Well, he's not really my 'nii-san. He's just taken care of me all my life cuz 'tou-san hates me."  
  
"What's your Otou-san's name?"  
  
"Knives.."  
  
"Erg.. great. I'm taking care of the bosses-bosses daughter.." *nervous laughter*  
  
"And since Legato-nii-san is a bad person, you must be one too."  
  
"No. at least I don't think so. Just a puppet.."  
  
"Puppet?"  
  
"Controlled."  
  
"Can't you go away.?"  
  
"No, I have some very important things on the line.."  
  
"And everyone is killed and will die more and it's scary! I didn't even know what die was this morning!"  
  
"I'm sorry. I'm still going to have to kill Vash though."  
  
"Oh. is it cuz you are cun-trolt?"  
  
"Yes.. he seems nice enough, I wouldn't kill him if I didn't have to."  
  
"Otou-san no baka couldn't control me!" Kuroneko declared, puffing up. "I ran away!"  
  
Dominique put Kuroneko back down on the ledge. "You are very lucky. I'm not so lucky."  
  
"What's luck?"  
  
"Luck is when good things happen to you, instead of bad."  
  
"I'm not sooo lucky, then. Maybe some," she admitted.  
  
"Maybe some." Dominique agreed. "I have to go fight now- my eye is starting to hurt."  
  
"Can I have your hat?" Kuroneko asked looking at her with puppy dog eyes.  
  
"Maybe. Stay here." 'So my demons eye doesn't work on non-humans.'  
  
Dominique ran up behind Vash, drew her gun, and started shooting. Vash rolled, drew his gun, and pointed, only to find the barrel of her gun at his head. Kuroneko of course, watched her run about.  
  
"Checkmate.." she said, before firing. Vash scooted away, ending upside down.  
  
"How cute," she said, smiling. Vash had a grimace on his face. "What the heck are you?! No human could have done this!!"  
  
"You are a really surprising young man," she said, avoiding the question. She had a bit of a sad glint in the one eye showing. "I like people like you."  
  
"Stop stealing my lines!" Vash shouted. "You move like a ghost!"  
  
"I admire you for avoiding my attack twice, but how long can you run?" She inquired, not really expecting a response. "You can fire your gun any time you get the chance."  
  
Vash stood up and glared, focusing on Dominique.  
  
'I wish I could tell what he is thinking!' Kuroneko pouted.  
  
"You're very confident, but that is of no use. No matter how fast you are, you can't defeat." She opened her other eye, and ran up to him, putting her gun under his chin, then closed her eye. "..Me!" She shot.  
  
He jumped back, but the tip of his chin was bleeding.  
  
"You're an amazing young man, to make me miss you three time." She said.  
  
"This is a miss?!!" he cried, clutching his bleeding chin. As she talked he thought about what he had seen. Standing up, he closed his eyes, and concentrated his hands into tight fists.  
  
"Is he..no it can't be! It can't be." Her eye opened and she ran at him. He lifted his arm, and a gun came out. "ACK!" Kuroneko shouted into her blanket, falling backwards. She held onto the edge on the cliff, dangling perilously.  
  
He shot. Kuroneko was hanging from the edge of the cliff, and didn't see, but she heard the thump of a body. "Oh no!" she whispered. 'I dun want Dom- san to die!'  
  
"How? How did you do it?" she heard Dominique say. 'phew'  
  
Vash explained himself, and Kuroneko started to slip. She focused on trying to pull herself up. Two people ran up the stair beside her, and she heard a slap. "HOW DARE YOU TREAT A GIRL LIKE THAT?! YOU PERVERT!!"  
  
"How can you do that at a time like this?!" he cried. Another one of Kuroneko's fingers slipped.  
  
"Are you alright?" the other girl asked.  
  
"And you! Not you too!" Vash cried. Everyone stopped, and Dominique ran away, snatching her hat up, as she got to the stairs, and was walking down them, she heard a muffled ".help", and turned, seeing Kuroneko about to fall.  
  
"Oh child," she sighed. She walked to the ledge, and pulled Kuroneko up. "Be more careful. Whatever caused you to fall off?"  
  
"The gun in Vash-san's hand was scary.. kowaii!" Kuroneko exclaimed. "Do people normally have guns in their hands??"  
  
"No, not that I know of. And yes, that was pretty scary. Here, have my hat," she said, putting her hat on Kuroneko's head. It fell down over her eyes, and Kuroneko reached up and straightened it. "What is your name child?"  
  
"My name is Kuroneko. Will I see you again?"  
  
"Maybe Kuro-chan."  
  
"Will you be my friend?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Good. I don't have any friends left."  
  
"Sayanora."  
  
"Bai bai!"  
  
Dominique got up, and ran down the stairs.  
  
Vash saw out of the side of his eyes, Dominique lean down, pulls something up, whisper, and leave her hat behind. All he saw of what she pulled up was two small hands, and the arms attached to them. 'Hmm..' he thought, as he fell over. "Vash-san?" the short girl said.  
  
"Eh? She's gone! Where'd she go?" the taller girl said looking around.  
  
"I thought I was going to die!" Vash cried. He looked over at the edge where Dominique stopped, and saw nothing. Kuroneko had moved, sensing Legato's energy, and tried to get closer, but the trail she was on stopped, so she sat and stared into the darkness. A sax started playing.  
  
Kuroneko saw Legato's white coat in the darkness. "Nii-san!" she shouted. For all that he had done, she still loved him. He was her older brother. He looked, seemingly towards her and smiled a small evil smile. (In truth, he was staring at Vash.) A dust cloud rose up, and when it had disappeared, Legato, and any sense of his energy was gone.  
  
"It's time for us to part," Vash told his two friends. "Our journey together ends here."  
  
"Why?" the smaller one cried.  
  
"The road ahead is very dangerous."  
  
"You can't do this! We were traveling with you because."  
  
"Which is more important, your job or your life?!" He stated grimly. "I won't tell you the reason. If I do, I involve you too!"  
  
"It been fun traveling with you!" He said, smiling, his mood changed entirely. "But it ends here."  
  
"Don't follow me!!"  
  
As Vash disappeared from sight, the two women heard a heart-wrenching wail of a small child who has lost everything. It mirrored what they were feeling inside.  
  
Kuroneko got up, feeling heavy in heart. She grabbed her backpack, put her blanket in it, and put on her backpack. She took the hat off, and hugged it. "I have a friend." She said remember. That helped her enough, to go back down into the city, to find Vash. She jumped from ledge to ledge, and when she got to the city, she followed his trail. There were barely any boot marks, and she wouldn't admit that what she traced was she smell of anger. She didn't understand herself even.  
  
It took her a mile to catch up with him. She wouldn't stay behind him and follow him like she did Legato. It wasn't like he was going to make her go. As she walked up to him slowly, he got tense, sensing her presence.  
  
"I told you not to follow.me." He had turned around, and saw who was there. "Now who's this?" he asked, crouching down. "A new form of miniature bounty hunters?"  
  
"Bounty hunters? Whats a bounty hunters?" She asked, looking up at him with bright turquoise eyes.  
  
"Oh, never mind. Don't you need to go home? It's late!" Vash said.  
  
"I think I am home," Kuroneko said quietly, looking at her feet, her hands grasped in front of her.  
  
"Huh? Where?" Vash stood up and looked around. She pulled on his jacket, and he got down on his knees. "Where??" he asked quietly.  
  
She took her finger, and poked him in the chest. "You."  
  
"Me!?" Vash exclaimed. "How can I be a home?"  
  
"Are you Vash?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, but how does that make me home!?"  
  
"You're the only family I have left!" she cried.  
  
"...." Vash looked into her face. She was covered in dust, and there were streaks on her face were she had cried. "How exactly am I family?"  
  
" You my Otou-san's brother," she replied.  
"HUH? No way! I only have one brother and there is no was in hel- err.. no way he could have a kid.. could he?" Vash said. "What's you Otou- san's name?"  
  
"Um. Knives," she answered.  
  
Vash sat down suddenly. "You said I'm the only family you have left. does that make Knives.?"  
  
"'tou-san is fine, he's just a bad man. He hates me. I'm a tool. I'm too human. I would have stayed with 'nii-san, but he's bad too!"  
  
"Knives.." Vash growled under his breath. "Whose your 'nii-san?"  
  
"Well, he isn't really my 'nii-san, he's just raised me, because Knives hates me. Legato-nii-san was really really nice, but when I followed him.. he killed people. That makes him a bad man. Doesn't that make him a bad man?"  
  
Vash sighed. "I'm sorry to say, yes,. Legato is a very bad man. Don't you have anywhere else to go."  
  
"No! You can't make me! I'd follow you to the end of the world!" Kuroneko looked really stubborn.  
  
Vash sighed again. "I guess you'll have to come then."  
  
"I mean it! You can't. I can come?" Her eyes widened happily. "YAY!" She jumped on him, and hugged him.  
  
"What's your name kid," he said, picking her up. He grabbed his stuff.  
  
"My name Kuroneko!"  
  
"Black cat. Cute," he said. "He~y! Isn't this Dominique's hat?" He grabbed it, and looked at it.  
  
"Uh huh. She's my new friend~!" Kuroneko said.  
  
"So you're the one who nearly fell off the cliff!" he turned to look at Kuroneko. "Ack! So that's why they named your Kuroneko! Cat ears! Now that I look, you have cat eyes too! Now all you'd need is a .tail." Her tail had fallen down.  
  
"What's a cat?" Kuroneko said, pulled the hat back over her ears embarrassed.  
  
"I'll show you in the next town," Vash said. "I hope we get there soon. I'm hungry!"  
  
"Me too," Kuroneko admitted. "Wanna share my sandwich?"  
  
They had walked several miles, with pauses of silence between each piece of conversation. They neared an outcropping of rocks, and he sat down.  
  
"Sure, if you don't mind sharing," he said.  
  
"I don't, I can't eat much," she replied. She took her slightly squished and a bit sandy sandwich out of her bag, and handed it to Vash. He split it in have, and ate his quickly, waiting for her to finish hers. She ate half of her half, before handing the rest to Vash. "I'm full."  
  
"Vash-san?" Kuroneko asked, looking up at him.  
  
"Mhhph?" He said, a mouth full of sandwich.  
  
"Will you take care of me? No one else wants to." she said.  
  
"I promise to take care of you! I kind of like you." he said, finished with that bite.  
  
"Arigato Vash-san.." she whispered. She yawned, and lay down.  
  
She curled up on the still sun-warmed rock, curled up around her book back, blanket over her, and fell asleep, as Vash finished the rest of the sandwich.  
  
"I'm done," he said, turning to Kuroneko. When he saw she was asleep, he smiled. He picked her up, blanket, book bag, and all. "At least she isn't heavy," he whispered to himself.  
  
'Damn it! Not only have Knives and Legato's victims been killed, this one has been hurt so badly. I bet she never really has been loved before.. I will get you Legato!."  
  
End Chapter Two 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Fifth Moon  
  
Vash yawned. He had been walking throughout the night, and hadn't even found a city! He reached up with one hand, and brushed his drooping bangs out of his face.  
  
"Huh? It's not sunrise yet!" Vash exclaimed, as it suddenly got brighter. He turned to see two bright white lights coming at him.  
  
"Oi!" a man called from the car. "Do you and your little daughter need a right to the next halfway point?" The man pulled up to Vash, and then stopped. He looked in his forties, slightly balding, and wind burnt from driving through the desert with the top of his truck down.  
  
"I'd appreciate it greatly," Vash said. "Although she's not my daughter."  
  
"If she isn't your daughter," the man started suspiciously. "...then who is she? She looks an awful lot like you."  
  
"She's my little orphaned niece," Vash replied. "She's as sweet as can be though. I would give anything if she were my daughter. I could have treated her kindly." Vash put Kuroneko in the back, on top of some bedding, in between several secured water barrels, then climbed in after her.  
  
The man started the car, and started driving slowly. "You could always adopt."  
  
Vash looked startled. "Well, yeah, I suppose I could," he said. "But I have business I have to finish first, before I could even consider it."  
  
"Well, we all have business we need to finish," the man said. "My names Rodgers. What is yours?"  
  
"Vash," Vash warily.  
  
"Like Vash the Stampede? Oh boy, to name a kid after the Humanoid Typhoon. You must have been some kid!"  
  
"Yup," Vash said, playing along. "I was a colicky baby. Kaa-san said my squalling was so loud, she was sure it would bring down the neighborhood!"  
  
Rodgers just laughed.  
  
"Of course," Vash started, full of fake seriousness. "Now I have bounty hunters after me all the time. Started when I was ten. Bounty hunters came for an outlaw and found a kid! Didn't know what to think! Now that I'm older, I've had to learn how to shoot, or I would have been dead a long time ago."  
  
"Woah," Rodgers whistled. "Some childhood you had. Makes for some big business to solve."  
  
"Yeah," Vash said. "I suppose I could change my name the same time I adopt her, but I'm too used to being called Vash. Might as well find the real Vash and finish it for good. Then I'd have some money to take care of her with, and donate the rest to an orphanage or something." 'I should remember this story! It might be useful in the future!' Vash laughed silently to himself.  
  
"Well here's the half-way point," Rodgers commented finally. "I'm making a water delivery there. The front in just a saloon, but there is a small inn in the back. I'm staying there until sunrise, and I could probably convince the manager to let you stay there."  
  
"That would be great," Vash thanked him. "I'm dead on my feet!" Rodgers parked, and Vash picked up Kuroneko, the blanket, hat and book bag.  
  
Rodgers came around to unload. "Are those ears real?!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Yes," Vash answered with a sigh. "Her father did that to her. I'm not even sure how, all I know is that there she wasn't treated like a child, just an experiment."  
  
"Poor child." Rodgers said. "I wish you the best at solving your problems, and adopting her."  
  
"Thank you," Vash said, as he followed Rodgers in to the back door.  
  
Vash had gotten a room, with one large bed. Nothing else was available. It was a bland room, with a bowl of water to clean in, a simple mirror, cracked the side, and simple blankets to curl up in. He set Kuroneko down on the bed with her blanket.  
  
He went to put her book bag to the side, when he realized how tattered it was.  
  
"Hm.maybe I can put her stuff in one of the pockets on my bag. Doesn't feel like there is much in here."  
  
He pulled out a pair of children's panties, and a light blue shirt. "Heeeey, I recognize these! Hers is so brown with dust, I couldn't tell, but these are the clothes Knives and I wore, when we were young!" He folded it up, with a small smile on his face, and stuck it into a pocket in his bag. Next he pulled out a small book of some kind.  
  
He opened it, and the first page he saw, was Legato and Kuroneko. Both had smiles on there faces, and she was on his shoulders. He was wearing a plain white shirt, and his normal pants. 'Legato! Is this the mask you wore with her?' His hand clenched, and the page tore a little, but he stopped when he realized what he was doing.  
  
The next page had a man he had never seen before, in a pond, holding Kuroneko up in the water. Legato was in the background, looking decidedly wet and grumpy. He turned to the next page. It was a picture of him, smiling, but with a bit sad eyes. Even after everything that had happened, there was a moment when Knives and Vash hadn't been fighting, when Knives went into a town and got him some donuts without killing anyone. It was their birthday, and Vash had given Knives this wonderful quartz crystal. He turned to the very last page.  
  
'Rem!' It was Rem, with her soft smile, and joyful eyes. He even remembered when that picture was taken. After the celebrations, when everyone was calming down, Joey went around with a camera taking pictures of everyone. He gave this picture to Vash, and Vash wrote "Rem" at the bottom of it. But it was the word after it that really too his breath away. "Mom."  
  
Was Kuroneko so alone, that she had a made-up mom? Or was Rem really alive, and being held captive? It was such a ridiculous idea, but it stuck, and he woke Kuroneko up to ask her.  
  
"Ehhh?" Kuroneko said sleepily. "Wassit?"  
  
"Is this your Mom?" Vash asked, a nervous edge on his voice.  
  
Kuroneko blinked a couple times and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.  
  
"I dun know. I hope so. She looked like a nice Mom," Kuroneko said. "Just like you looked like a nice Dad." Kuroneko yawned, and her eyes closed drowsily.  
  
Vash sat there stunned, with a small smile on his face. 'She was a nice Mom. I wish you had known her Kuro-chan.' Getting Kuroneko's clean clothes out, he put it on her as she slept. He stuck the photo album in the safest pocket in his bag. Taking a look at her tattered book bag, he realized that they were his old shorts, and for memories sake, stuck the in his bag; He could fix them later. Finally, he got his night clothing out, and changed into them.  
  
Climbing into the bed, he curled protectively around Kuroneko, before falling asleep.  
  
They had woken up late, and had a breakfast of donuts, and while Kuroneko was cleaning up, he had been practicing lines for taking down Legato. Now it was lunch, and they had ordered sandwiches, and he was still working on his lines.  
  
He stood at the door waiting for the next person to practice his lines on. The door opened, and he leveled his gun at a three foot man. "AAAAAAHHH!" the man screamed.  
  
"Legato! From now on I'm coming after you!!" Vash growled. "I'll find you no matter what it takes!" He lowered his gun and turned away.  
  
"Ah! What cool lines! I've only seen him once, and I have no idea how to find him!" he complained, walking over to the bar counter were Kuroneko was eating a half a sandwich, washed well and her new hat on. "Do you have any ideas Kuro-chan?"  
  
"Iie," she said. "I dun ever know were he goes!"  
  
"Because I've been thinking about this so much, I've been getting more and more scared about the whole idea!" Vash cried, sitting down on the barstool next to her. "ITS ALL BECAUSE OF LEGATO! Chasing after that man with those mocking eyes, and then fighting with him! Is that a good idea?!!" He jumped up while he was screeching, clutching his head.  
  
Kuroneko looked up at Vash surprised, and shrugged, eating the last of her sandwich.  
  
"Ah! Of course it isn't a great idea!" He cried again. "Is way too dangerous!"  
  
"So is being you," Kuroneko commented.  
  
"Well, you got a bit of a point, but still!" Vash whined. "Well, I still have a good feeling about it. I believe my way of thinking is correct."  
  
"Who are you? Who are you?" the short man called, as he jumped up and down between Kuroneko and Vash.  
  
"Ah, but a man should enjoy his life! More tuna sandwiches!" Vash called. He looked down at Kuroneko, who had finished her sandwich, and was out of water. "And a soda water for the little miss!"  
  
A scary looking gray man walked up beside Kuroneko, to Vash.  
  
"eep," Kuroneko said, causing Vash to turn and look.  
  
"Eh?" Vash said. He jumped over his sandwich, protecting it.  
  
"Augusta," the gray man said in a hoarse voice. "I'm waiting for you. in Augusta.You'd better accept my challenge, or you'll end up like this." He lifted the gun to his head.  
  
"YAMANO! STOP!" Vash shouted. The gray man fired his gun, and he fell over, dead.  
  
"Weh weah WAAAAAHHH!!" Kuroneko started bawling.  
  
"Who? Who did this?!" Vash cried, leaning over the body. "There is no blood!"  
  
"What? Did you know this man? Is he a friend of yours?!" the short man asked.  
  
Vash swept up Kuroneko in his arms and ran out to the door way.  
  
"There is only one person capable of doing something like this," Vash growled. "Legato!"  
  
"Who? A companion of yours?" the short man asked, jumping up and down.  
  
"Legato is a BAD MAN!" Kuroneko yelled, before residing to sobs in Vash's chest. Vash glared at the horizon, as if expecting to see Legato there.  
  
"What? What are you talking about?" the short man said, jumping in front of Vash.  
  
"WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?!" Vash screeched, jumping back.  
  
"I'm the man you pointed a gun at!" the short man screeched back, jumping up an down.  
  
"Oh. Well, I could tell you, but then you'd end up dead," Vash said seriously. "So it's better not to involve you at all, except to practice lines on."  
  
"Eh." The short man agreed, before leaving Vash. Vash went into the back, to leave Kuroneko.  
  
"I want you to stay here. It's safer for you here, okay?" Vash told a sniffling Kuroneko, putting her on the bed.  
  
"No! You can't make me!" Kuroneko cried. She jumped down from the bed, and grabbed Vash's bag from the wall, going through it, until she found her photo album. "That's all I need!" she said, sticking the photo album in her shirt pocket.  
  
"I can't bring you! What if you ended up dead!" Vash exclaimed. "Then it would be all my fault! I have enough deaths on my shoulders without adding you."  
  
"I'm guessing deaths and dead mean the same as die and killed," Kuroneko said softly. "And I have only one thing to say to that!"  
  
"What?" Vash asked carefully.  
  
"Shoot me!!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"Shoot me! Trust me, nothing will happen!!"  
  
"NOOO!!!!"  
  
"ARG! Then.." she ran out and grabbed a rock the size of her fist. "Throw this at me!"  
  
"NO! NO! No~! I don't want to hurt you!"  
  
"Toss it then, so I can catch it if I have to!"  
  
"Fine. But catch it!" Vash said finally. He threw it softly from five feet away. She stepped forward three feet and stop, it heading toward her head.  
  
"NO!" Vash cried, running to catch the rock. But he was too late. It hit her head... and in a flash of blue light a round shield surrounded her whole body. The rock rolled down the side of the shield, and when it hit the floor, it broke into pieces.  
  
"You can't make me stay," Kuroneko whispered. "Otou-san did a lot of tests on me when I was still a toddler, to make this work right. I can't use my plant power like a gun, like he can, but I have this bubble."  
  
"I can't make you stay," Vash stated, sighing.  
  
"I told you, I'd follow you to the end of the world!" She told him, hugging his leg.  
  
"MY NAME IS.VASH THE STAMPEDE!" Vash hollered, looking evil. A young girl, with cat ears, a blond braid, a tail, and wicked fangs crouched beside him in a black sleeveless body suit, that had small pockets on the side of her legs. She wore black combat boot that fit her small feet.  
  
"I AM THE CAT DEMON VASH CALLED TO HELP HIM!" Kuroneko squealed with glee, baring her fangs and waving her hands in scratching motions, baring sharp claw like fingernails. "ROWR!!"  
  
"AHAAAHH!" People screamed, and they ran. Some stayed, stunned.  
  
"Forgive me for appearing all of a sudden," he yelled, "But I'm going to kill every single one of you from now on!"  
  
"And I'm going to eat you!" Kuroneko crowed, running circles around Vash.  
  
Vash cringed a bit and gave Kuroneko a look.  
  
"Hehheh.." Kuroneko giggled nervously. She overdid it a little.  
  
"If you don't believe I'm Vash, let me show you some proof!" Vash screamed. "Red overcoat, lovely blond hair, and perfect markmanship!" He shot the ledge beneath a cat, and it fell on his head, before running off.  
  
He ran around the streets, shooting in the air, and she ran around, pouncing on people, and knocking them over, before chasing others out of town.  
  
"IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DIE, GGET AT LEAST 100 MILES AWAY FROM HERE!!!" He screeched, shooting.  
  
"And if your smart, stay away for a long while!!!!!" Kuroneko roared, chasing people out of buildings.  
  
"YOU'LL LIVE HAPPILY THEN!" The both called to the retreating people.  
  
Vash and Kuroneko sat on the ground, her in his lap, and she watched as he marked off the map.  
  
"We really should have gotten something to eat before we chased everyone out.." she whined.  
  
"The people safety came first. Maybe we can raid a shop later, ok?" Vash said.  
  
"Hai!"  
  
"Now that that's done," Vash said. "But why did he choose this place?"  
  
"Dunno. Maybe it was the closest to where he was?" Kuroneko pondered.  
  
"Maybe... but using a gun really doesn't require any energy; he could have rested in whatever city he wanted to use." Vash said. "I don't understand.  
  
"If it makes you feel any better, I never understand anything," Kuroneko offered.  
  
Vash laughed slightly, and ruffled Kuroneko's bangs.  
  
They walked down the street, deeper into the city. Kuroneko was holding Vash's over coat, as both of his hands were gun hands.  
  
"I have a bad feeling," Vash said. "It reminds me of that incident." He looked down at Kuroneko worriedly.  
  
"Vash-san! Blood!" Kuroneko cried. "Dom-san! Dom-san!" Vash looked up. Pinned to the wall, was Dominique the Cyclops, and a bulky man in purple. Kuroneko let go of Vash's coat, and started running toward the wall. Vash grabbed her.  
  
"Let me GO! I need to get Dom-san! She can't be dead!!" She cried. " She's my only friend!!"  
  
"Its dangerous!" Vash told her. "Whoever did that may still be here!"  
  
"You are right, I am," a man said, stepping from behind a building. "Do you like it? Defeated dogs aren't allowed to go home; they go to Hell."  
  
"You did this?" Vash asked, holding Kuroneko back.  
  
"Gun-Ho-Guns number five. My name is EG Mine!" EG Mine said.  
  
"DID YOU DO THIS?!" Vash yelled.  
  
"How noisy! So what if I did you chicken?" EG Mine commented. "You don't like to kill, so I killed for you!"  
  
Kuroneko pulled away from Vash. "YOU'RE A BAD MAN!" She screamed, leaping toward the EG Mine.  
  
"KURO-CHAN! YAMANO!" Vash screamed.  
  
EG Mine twitched his finger, and a single spike like the one that held up Dom-san flew at Kuroneko. The blue shield flew up, and the spike fell to the ground, breaking into two pieces.. Kuroneko reached down and picked them up, then ran out of sight.  
  
"What? No matter, I'm not here for you!" EG Mine yelled. He turned to Vash. "Are you so afraid to kill, or are you capable of doing me in?"  
  
"How far do you want to push me?" Vash growled, his eyes narrowing. "Until I get killed, or I kill someone? And I have no other ways?"  
  
"Don't sound so disappointed!" EG Mine exclaimed. He twitched his fingers, and spikes came out of all the holes in his round suit. "At most, there will only be one body. Once I kill you, it will be over."  
  
~Meanwhile~  
  
"I have to save Dom-san," Kuroneko mutter, sticking the spike halves into the wall. She braced her feet against the wall, and pulled herself p a few inches. She pulled one spike out, and put it up further, pulling herself up. Inch by inch, she got closer, and closer. When she was close enough to touch Dom-san's feet, she tried to feel for energy. and felt nothing.  
  
"No!" she cried, and as she cried out, she fell.. as she hit the ground, she rolled, and stood up.  
  
"Aiya! How'd I do that?!" She said. She heard Vash scream. "VASH- SAN!" She ran toward the sound of cries and gunshots. She came up behind a man in odd uniform, different from the first Bad Man, who was shooting at Vash. She was still about thirty feet away.  
  
"Is this all Vash the Stampede can do?" the man said.  
  
Vash looked up, and seeing Kuroneko shook his head. 'Don't come any closer'  
  
"That cannot be!" the man cried. "At least answer one question. What do you see at the moment? What do you see?!"  
  
Kuroneko felt the courtyard invaded with Legato's presence. Vash had his eyes closed and Kuroneko could almost see the cloud of Legato's spirit around Vash. He jumped and his eyes opened, him gasping.  
  
"YAMANO! STOP! STOP!" Vash screamed, and Legato invaded his mind.  
  
"Even now, he is begging for mercy!" the man muttered disgusted. Light burst out of Vash's gun.  
  
"That is.?" the man said warily. The cap burst off.  
  
"No! Vash-san! Fight it!" Kuroneko cried. She took some steps forward but a heavy winds being called up, pushing her back.  
  
"That light is...?" Vash started. "That light is..!" The gun started coming out of his hand.  
  
"What is that thing? Are you going to turn into a demon?!" the man yelled.  
  
Kuroneko started crawling forward, the heavy breezes making it a slow process. "Vash-san! Vash-tou-chan!!"  
  
"What is this?!" the man called, turning and seeing the girl. "Who are you?!"  
  
""Help me get to Vash!" she cried. "If you have any mercy at all, help me! I'm too small!"  
  
The gun grew bigger, and Vash started screaming in pain. Debris flew, and hit her shield, bouncing off.  
  
"I'll throw you towards him, but if you don't make it, I won't try again!" the man yelled over the winds, picking her up. He threw her, and she grabbed Vash's overcoat.  
  
"STOP!" Vash screamed. The gun grew, and he pushed it up with his machine gun hand.  
  
"It'll be okay Vash-san, hold on, I'm here," she cried, holding on to the end of his overcoat for dear life.  
  
The man stood stunned, at what was happening.  
  
"GET AWAY!! RUN!!!" Vash screamed at the man. The man ran, but when large debris stopped him, he turned around terrified.  
  
"RUUUUUN!" Vash screeched. The gun was pointing directly at the man.  
  
"What is it?! What is that thing?!" the man screamed.  
  
"Stop! Don't! Please stop!" Vash yelled at the gun, that was drawing energy in, and opening up. He started shooting at it with his machine gun, pushing it up.  
  
"Vash-san! Your coat is ripping! I'm slipping!" Kuroneko cried. The large piece of coat tore off, and she curled around it, going flying. The bubble of energy surrounded her, and she hit the ground, landing on the ground. A broken building fell over her. Everything went black.  
  
When she woke up, the city was in ruins. The sky was red, touched by white clouds. Red like the piece of coat she was holding. Vash was nowhere in site. She stood up, her bodysuit in ruins as well, the top looking rather like the swimsuit Legato had gotten her once but ragged on the ends, and the bottom more a pair of shorts.  
  
She held the piece of red coat close to her. "Vash-san! Vash-san!! Vash- san! Dun leave me alone! I dun wanna to be left alone!!" Tears ran down her cheeks, but she kept calling. "Vaaaash-saan!"  
  
She walked to the edge of the ruined city, climbing over broken shards of building. "Vash-san! Where are you?! I dun wanna be alooone! Vash-san!" She heard a motor behind her, and she turned and look. A man in black on a motorcycle rode slowly beside her, a large white cross on the back.  
  
'I don't know him. He's not Vash-san.' And with that she turned from him, and kept walking. "Vash-san! Come back! You can't leave me alone! You promised to take care of me! I dun wanna be alone again!" VASH-SAN!"  
  
"You looking for Vash?" the man on the motorcycle asked her.  
  
"Hai! I need to find him!" she replied, holding the bundle of red tightly. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.  
  
"I'm looking for Vash too; do you want to come with me?" he asked.  
  
"Are you another bad man? There are lots of bad men chasing after Vash-san. Are you bad?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
"No, I'd like to think I'm a good guy," he said. "The name is Wolfwood. Nicholas D. Wolfwood."  
  
"Okay! Are you a friend of Vash-san's?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, I am," Wolfwood said.  
  
"My name is Kuroneko! Will you be my friend too?" she asked. "My last friend got killed by one of the bad men." She looked kind of sad.  
  
"Well, I won't die anytime soon, and I'd be glad to be your friend," he said. He took a good look at her. "I think you need new clothes, and a bath."  
  
"I have some clothes left at the halfway point, if you could take me," she said. She looked up at him hopefully.  
  
Wolfwood sighed. "Well.. I wasn't heading that way.. but you really need clothing."  
  
"Arigato gozaimasu!"  
  
So they stopped at the halfway point, she got her blue shirt, and they headed on the search. They went from city, to city, to city. Six months went by, and they got to know each other well. Likes dislikes, pieces of their past.but neither of them truly told all their background, and Kuroneko got older and wiser. After six months, the seemingly four- year old, now looked like she was thirteen.  
  
She out grew just wearing the shirt- now she had to wear and extra pair of Wolfwood's pants, the cuffs rolled up. She wore the red piece of coat like a belt around her waist, a triangle of material coming down over the back of her. A plain tan holster was attached, with a small six-shooter in the holster. With new boots, and her hair in a bob, she looked like a new person. She no longer covered her ears or her tail; most people just thought it was some kind of weird fashion statement.  
  
Wolfwood-san was now Uncle Wolfwood, and he didn't seem to mind. He was surprised at her growth spurt, but he already knew she wasn't quite human. He did get tired of trading in for new boots every month or so though.  
  
Finally, they found Vash. in a town name Kasted City. 


End file.
